Acupuncture in America Study 2006 PDF

International Korean Medicine
Conference
JeCheon, Korea
April 21, 2006
Acupuncture in America
Today and Tomorrow…
Dr. JiMong Choe

OMD.,Ph.D.,L.Ac.
Professor Kings Park University, USA
Today and Tomorrow
Contents
• History of Acupuncture in America
• Acupuncture use in America
1. How Much & Who
2. Results & Why
• Acupuncturists in America
• Acupuncture Licenses and laws
• Acupuncture Licenses in America
• Acupuncture in America Tomorrow
1. Legislation
2. Insurance Policy
3. Insurance Coverage
4. Herbal Medicine
5. Education
• Acupuncture in America Tomorrow and Beyond
• Sources
History of Acupuncture in America
• 1971 – New York Times reporter James Reston, on

President Nixon’s trip to China, writes article on his
acupuncture experience. This is the first widespread
introduction to acupuncture.
• 1973 – 1st Acupuncture practice laws passed in

Maryland, Nevada and Oregon.
• 1982 – The National Certification Commission for

Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine (NCCAOM) was
established to set national standards of competence.
History of Acupuncture in America
• 1988 – The Accreditation Commission for Acupuncture and
Oriental Medicine (ACAOM) was recognized by the U.S.
Department of Education (USDE) for the accreditation of
Masters degree and Masters level acupuncture. In 1992 this
was expanded to include programs in Oriental Medicine.
• 1996 The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved

acupuncture needles for use by licensed practitioners, listing
them as Class II medical devices.
• 2002 – The National Institutes of Health (NIH) conducted the

largest and most comprehensive survey of complementary and
alternative medicine (CAM) use by American adults – over 8
million adults have used acupuncture and 2.1 million U.S. adults
had used acupuncture in the previous year.
Acupuncture use in America
How Much & Why
• Acupuncture use has doubled in the past 10 years and
continues to grow
• An estimated 20 million Americans have tried

acupuncture
• Over 4.5 billion dollars is spent on Asian Medicine each

year and growing
• Over 3 billion dollars is spent on acupuncture each year

and growing
How Much & Who
American use of acupuncture

9%
31%
Have tried
Would try
Would not try
60%
How Much & Who
Alternative Medicine Use by Race/Ethnicity
27%
32%
Asian
Black
Hispanic
White
21%
20%
Results & Why
• Almost half (48%) of those that received acupuncture
were “extremely satisfied” or “very satisfied”
• Only 8% were not at all satisfied
• Acupuncture was used for a variety of conditions, from

physical pain and disease to mental and emotional
problems.
Results & Why
Acupuncture Patient Satisfaction
8% Extremely Satisfied
10% 24%
Very Satisfied
Somewhat Satisfied
Not Very Satisfied
34% Not at All Satisfied

24%
Results & Why
Reasons for Wanting Acupuncture
Musculoskelatal or
17% Nervous System
Addiction or
Psychological Disorder
1% Gastrointestinal or
2% Urogenital
3% Respiratory
4%
58% Circulatory
Gynecological
15%
Other
Acupuncturists in America
Characteristics Average/No. (%)
• Age 48
• Years in Practice 10
• Gender
Female 59%
Male 41%
• Race
White 62%
Asian 36%
Other 2%
Characteristics Average/No.(%)
• Education
High School 2%
Associates Degree 2%
Bachelor’s Degree 6%
Master’s Degree 58%
Doctorate 24%
Other Professional Degree 5%
• Foreign Training
Yes 24%
No 76%
Characteristics Average/No. (%)
• Level of Practice
Full Time 57%
Part Time 41%
Retired 2%
• Practice Location
Large City 32%
Suburb of Large City 30%
Small City 25%
Small Town/Rural 13%
Acupuncture in America Today
Licenses & Laws
• As of 2005, there were 22,671 Licensed Acupuncturists
in the United States
• 41 States and the District of Columbia have

Acupuncture Practice Laws
• In 3 of the remaining 9 states, Acupuncture has been

deemed the practice of medicine
Acupuncture in America Today
Number of Acupuncture Licenses in America
25,000
20,000
15,000
10,000
5,000
0
1992 1993 1994 1996 1998 2000 2004
Tomorrow
The following areas are shaping the future of
• Legislation - Attaining Acupuncture Licensure in

all 50 states
• Insurance – Passing the Federal Acupuncture

Coverage Act and greater inclusion in managed
care and insurance plans
Tomorrow
• Herbal Medicine – Insuring access and fair regulations
• Education – Development of a Doctorate as a first

professional degree
• Continued research, development and collaboration

with Western medicine
Acupuncture in America Tomorrow
Legislation
• Acupuncture practice laws in all 50 states will make
passing any national legislation much easier
• Licensure requirements in all 50 states strengthens

Acupuncture as a profession, increases its status and
validity in the eyes of the public
• Licensure in all 50 states would allow greater access to

insurance reimbursement and student loan programs
Insurance Policy
• Passing of the Federal Acupuncture Coverage Act (HR 818)
would add acupuncture as a benefit covered under both
Medicare and the Federal Employees Health Benefits
(FEHB) program
• With acupuncture coverage established on a national level,

it would be faster and easier for private health insurance
companies to follow suit
• Greater insurance coverage would mean greater availability

in hospitals and other public venues
Insurance Coverage
• While we have a long way to go before there is equality in

insurance coverage, insurance companies are expanding
their coverage
• As shown by Kaiser Family Foundations survey, 47% of all

employers surveyed offered acupuncture as a health
benefit, up from 33% in 2002
• There is still a great disparity of availability between states,

making the aforementioned Licensure in all 50 states and
national standards all the more important
Tomorrow
Insurance Coverage
Percentage of covered workers with

acupuncture benefits
2002 2004
Conventional Plans 39 44
HMO plans 26 41
PPO plans 33 47
Point of service plans 35 52
Herbal Medicine
• National standards set by the FDA, the Traditional

Medicines Congress and others, with a list of
recognized medicinal herbs, would insure access
and availability of traditional medicines
• National standards would furthermore allow

uniform access amongst individual states
Tomorrow
Education
• A First Professional Doctorate will elevate the
public and legal status of acupuncture by
insuring the same level of professional
competency and accreditation of other
doctoral-level health care professions
• This change in status and title will increase the

opportunities for the advancement of
acupuncture and all other health fields as
society moves towards greater integration
Tomorrow…and Beyond
• Acupuncture in America will continue to grow and
thrive
• As the legal issues are resolved, more emphasis

can be put towards education, research and
development
• As acupuncture is advanced and the public and

medical communities learn and understand more,
a real integration and collaboration can take place
between Asian medicine and Western medicine
Tomorrow…and Beyond
• As technology continues to advance in both Asian
and Western Medicine, combined with deeper
understanding and sharing of ideas, a new
paradigm of health and wellness will emerge, with
acupuncture and Asian medicine at the forefront
Today and Tomorrow
Sources Statistics
• acupuncturetoday.com • NCCAOM National Survey-
conducted by Harris Interactive
• aaom.org • National Health Interview
• nccaom.org Survey-conducted by the NIH
• acaom.org • Ethnicity and Disease, Volume 1,
Winter 2006, “Research in the
• nationalacupuncturefoundati Acupuncturist Community
on.org • Nutrition Business Journal, February
• National Center for 2005, “Complementary and
Complementary and Alternative Health Services in the
United States in 2004”
Alternative Medicine • Employer Health Benefits 2004
• Acupuncture.com Annual Survey - Henry J. Kaiser
• nccam.nih.gov Family Foundation
• Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine
• Michael Devitt at State Laws and Regulations, 2005
Acupuncture Today Edition
• Rebekah J Christensen at
AAOM

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International Korean Medicine

Dr. JiMong Choe

• 1971 – New York Times reporter James Reston, on

• 1973 – 1st Acupuncture practice laws passed in

• 1982 – The National Certification Commission for

• 1996 The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved

• 2002 – The National Institutes of Health (NIH) conducted the

• An estimated 20 million Americans have tried

• Over 4.5 billion dollars is spent on Asian Medicine each

• Over 3 billion dollars is spent on acupuncture each year

American use of acupuncture

Alternative Medicine Use by Race/Ethnicity

• Only 8% were not at all satisfied

• Acupuncture was used for a variety of conditions, from

34% Not at All Satisfied

• 41 States and the District of Columbia have

• In 3 of the remaining 9 states, Acupuncture has been

• Legislation - Attaining Acupuncture Licensure in

• Insurance – Passing the Federal Acupuncture

• Education – Development of a Doctorate as a first

• Continued research, development and collaboration

• Licensure requirements in all 50 states strengthens

• Licensure in all 50 states would allow greater access to

• With acupuncture coverage established on a national level,

• Greater insurance coverage would mean greater availability

• While we have a long way to go before there is equality in

• As shown by Kaiser Family Foundations survey, 47% of all

• There is still a great disparity of availability between states,

Percentage of covered workers with

• National standards set by the FDA, the Traditional

• National standards would furthermore allow

• This change in status and title will increase the

• As the legal issues are resolved, more emphasis

• As acupuncture is advanced and the public and

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